[Transmission of Marek's disease to wild feathered game]

The following wild feathered game were tested from 6 to 12 months of age: common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), common gray partridge (Perdix perdix), European quail (Coturnix coturnix), and Greek partridge (Alectoris graeca). Only pheasant was found to be susceptible to infection with a virulent virus of Marek's disease. In this bird the first clinical symptoms of the disease (nervous changes) were observed in 28 days from infection. Immunoprecipitation antibodies to the Marek's disease virus occurred in the serum on the 75th day from infection, and patho-morphological changes, typical of acute Marek's disease, were observed on the 75th to 85th day from infection. The remaining species of wild feathered game appeared not to be susceptible to infection with the Marek's disease virus. In these birds, like in pheasants, immunoprecipitation antigens of the Marek's disease virus were not found to be present in the epithelial cells of feather follicles. In the infected Greek partridge, common gray partridge and quail, serum was not found to contain any antibodies. Laying quail had no antibodies in the yolk of the eggs they laid. The results indicate a different oncogenesis of Marek's disease in the domestic fowl and pheasant. It is concluded that wild feathered game play no important role in the epizootology of Marek's disease.